Commuter Programs Hit the Gas Pedal

More than 1 million federal employees have participated in various programs designed to reduce traffic congestion while commuting in the last two years, says the General Services Administration, about double the level in the previous two-year report. GSA says the government is benefiting in several ways, including improved employee morale, in addition to lowered pollution and traffic congestion. The most visible of the programs is the public transit subsidy, in which agencies, at their discretion, may subsidize employees’ transit costs up to $60 a month tax-free. Thirty-four agencies now provide such subsidies to some 260,000 employees, GSA says. However, there are several other elements of the effort, including making lockers and showers available for employees who bike, walk or run to work and use of alternative work schedules.

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The Department of Education’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness program offers federal employees and military personnel a way to reduce monthly loan payments and have the loan forgiven after 120 income-adjusted payments.